Even if you appreciate privateers over the manufactures, it is hard to disagree that the grid has been pretty barren this year with only four engine suppliers, the lowest in 30 years.

The question is – which suppliers are most likely to return in 2013 with possibly the 1.6L I4 turbo engines coming back? I’m going to say Porsche is a given already. Hyundai was supposed to be joining F1 but it seems like they gave up on it. I heard something about Honda once…

I would say Honda most likely, and Porsche slightly less likely but still a good chance of it happening. Anyone else I would say it’s probably fairly unlikely. Of course that’s still a couple years off, so much could change in that time.

It wouldn’t surprise me if VW enter F1 under the Porsche name. They have a history of producing turbocharged road cars and F1 would be a good marketing exercise for their technology.

I do however full expect that VW/Porsche will approach F1 the exact same way as BMW did: Seek to get up to speed in your first couple of seasons and then try to reach the pinnacle of the sport for a few seasons before pulling the plug on their F1 programme.

If Audi/VW enter F1, I wonder if their Le Mans rivals Peugeot might be tempted back? – After all they have built up a lot of experience with turbo engines now, both at Le mans, and their Turbo Diesel road cars..

Peugeot in F1 again with McLaren? Probably not, that was a low point for both of them!

I think a Japanese constructor will return in the future ( probably Honda because of their history, but others could join too ).

Volkswagen joining in 2018… I won’t believe that until I see it.

Lotus said they are considering building engines for F1 earlier this year, so they could be one; I read also earlier this year that McLaren may consider building their own engine after the colaboration with Mercedes ends, but I think they would prefer not to.

What if we get in the future a Force India-Jaguar(they are owned by Tata, an Indian constructor) or Volvo(owned by Chinese manufacturer Geely)? That would be interesting, and not impossible at all, given the developments in recent years.